Amsterdam: Day 6, Part 1...
Another sleep in day! As it was a Sunday, I wasn't too sure how much would be open and by what times so I prepared myself to have nothing on the agenda and the reality I may not find much open.
My host told me that there was a local designers market that day. She asked if I'd want to go with her and a friend. I kind of felt like I would be imposing so I told her that I didn't know what I would be doing for the day so I didn't want them to feel rushed. She forwarded me the Facebook invite which had the address in case I wanted to go alone. This may sound rude, but I quietly left to go find it on my own. Ack! Does that make me a bad guest? Anyway, the Local Goods Weekend Market was lovely.
There was everything from foods, clothes, bicycles, and even deer antlers that had been "tattooed". I got a canvas tote bag, a t-shirt made from recycled materials that says "a certain darkness is needed to see the stars", a button pin, dog treats, and homemade fruit roll-ups.
I stopped in at By Popular Demand since I had stared in amazement at the things I saw in the window a few times.
All the colours and masks!
It's a really fun shop! There are some gag gifts and the rest is really fun things. I got a couple of tiny stamps, a pen with a big skull on top of it, and a faux deer head just in case Customs took issue with the real deer antlers I had. As I was waiting in line to checkout, an American came in from the street and asked the cashier if he knew where some other shop or tourist attraction was. He said no and she left. I mean...if you're going to ask, maybe buy something? I don't know. The cashier was just as unimpressed as I was and muttered a swear and some Dutch under his breath. The guy in front of me said something in Dutch back and the cashier, a bit surprised, said, "You speak Dutch?" The guy said, "Ja," and the cashier proceeded to rant (presumably about tourists) in Dutch. *lol*
Fake deer head from By Popular Demand
I decided I would try to find Hemp Works after the clusterfuck trying to find it a few days earlier. It took awhile, but there was significantly less frustration and I found it. Honestly? Not worth all the aggravation I had gone through before. *lol* Still, at least I could cross it off my list.
I did find this cool graffiti at least
I cruised around the Haarlemstraat neighbourhood. I was bummed that a restaurant I wanted to try (Snow Lion) was not open on Sundays. I found a thrift shop called Volksbond which provides funds raised to help the homeless. I got a couple of cardigans for cheap.
I stopped in again at Dr. Blend. They make such amazing drinks and have such a beautiful view at the back.
Motown music, juice, and roses. ♥
The owner suggested that I grab lunch at Bolhoed (a vegetarian restaurant) as it was right across the canal. I had a hummus platter and it was alright. They don't have wifi though which was disappointing.
From my Facebook: As you know, biking in Amsterdam is serious business. It's the main mode of transportation for Dutch. There's also cuteness to go with it. I've seen sweeties biking together with one pedalling and the other sitting sidesaddle on the back rack or biking side-by-side holding hands. I saw a guy pedalling with a woman on the front rack and a child on the back rack. I saw 2 friends yesterday bike side-by-side with their arms over each other's shoulders.
How I wish I could've taken pics of those adorable moments!
When I got back to the flat, I asked my host if she had any recommendations of things I should do or see since it was my last full day. She suggested that the main library is worth a visit so I decided to hop on my bike and head that way, taking a scenic route.
I really hate to make this a 2 parter because it's not really worth it, but the photo editing is not working to resize the rest of the pics I want to post and the browser has force-reloaded itself thrice now and frozen multiple times. This post alone has taken an hour and I'm getting frustrated so stay tuned for the rest!
My host told me that there was a local designers market that day. She asked if I'd want to go with her and a friend. I kind of felt like I would be imposing so I told her that I didn't know what I would be doing for the day so I didn't want them to feel rushed. She forwarded me the Facebook invite which had the address in case I wanted to go alone. This may sound rude, but I quietly left to go find it on my own. Ack! Does that make me a bad guest? Anyway, the Local Goods Weekend Market was lovely.
There was everything from foods, clothes, bicycles, and even deer antlers that had been "tattooed". I got a canvas tote bag, a t-shirt made from recycled materials that says "a certain darkness is needed to see the stars", a button pin, dog treats, and homemade fruit roll-ups.
I stopped in at By Popular Demand since I had stared in amazement at the things I saw in the window a few times.
All the colours and masks!
It's a really fun shop! There are some gag gifts and the rest is really fun things. I got a couple of tiny stamps, a pen with a big skull on top of it, and a faux deer head just in case Customs took issue with the real deer antlers I had. As I was waiting in line to checkout, an American came in from the street and asked the cashier if he knew where some other shop or tourist attraction was. He said no and she left. I mean...if you're going to ask, maybe buy something? I don't know. The cashier was just as unimpressed as I was and muttered a swear and some Dutch under his breath. The guy in front of me said something in Dutch back and the cashier, a bit surprised, said, "You speak Dutch?" The guy said, "Ja," and the cashier proceeded to rant (presumably about tourists) in Dutch. *lol*
Fake deer head from By Popular Demand
I decided I would try to find Hemp Works after the clusterfuck trying to find it a few days earlier. It took awhile, but there was significantly less frustration and I found it. Honestly? Not worth all the aggravation I had gone through before. *lol* Still, at least I could cross it off my list.
I did find this cool graffiti at least
I cruised around the Haarlemstraat neighbourhood. I was bummed that a restaurant I wanted to try (Snow Lion) was not open on Sundays. I found a thrift shop called Volksbond which provides funds raised to help the homeless. I got a couple of cardigans for cheap.
I stopped in again at Dr. Blend. They make such amazing drinks and have such a beautiful view at the back.
Motown music, juice, and roses. ♥
The owner suggested that I grab lunch at Bolhoed (a vegetarian restaurant) as it was right across the canal. I had a hummus platter and it was alright. They don't have wifi though which was disappointing.
From my Facebook: As you know, biking in Amsterdam is serious business. It's the main mode of transportation for Dutch. There's also cuteness to go with it. I've seen sweeties biking together with one pedalling and the other sitting sidesaddle on the back rack or biking side-by-side holding hands. I saw a guy pedalling with a woman on the front rack and a child on the back rack. I saw 2 friends yesterday bike side-by-side with their arms over each other's shoulders.
How I wish I could've taken pics of those adorable moments!
When I got back to the flat, I asked my host if she had any recommendations of things I should do or see since it was my last full day. She suggested that the main library is worth a visit so I decided to hop on my bike and head that way, taking a scenic route.
I really hate to make this a 2 parter because it's not really worth it, but the photo editing is not working to resize the rest of the pics I want to post and the browser has force-reloaded itself thrice now and frozen multiple times. This post alone has taken an hour and I'm getting frustrated so stay tuned for the rest!